(News Nation) – Pope Francis’ funeral took place on Saturday at St. Peters Square in Vatican City, attracting around 200,000 people who said goodbye, according to the Vatican. Service began on Saturday at 4am and began with prayers and singing.
Francis’ body was left in the province for three days at St. Peter’s Cathedral starting Wednesday.
The minutes and plans for his final resting place were easier than the previous minutes of the Pope.
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Farewell to Francis
The clergy will arrive at Pope Francis’ funeral in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican on Saturday, April 26th, 2025 (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
The crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square for a funeral mass, where 91-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Batista Leh delivered a “liturgy of the Word” or a reading from the Bible.
“Dear Francis, we ask that you pray for us now,” said Re, who presided over the ceremony. “We ask you from heaven, may you bless the church. May you bless Rome and bless the whole world as you did from the balcony of this cathedral last Sunday.”
He led the funeral mass.
“War always makes the world worse than before,” he recounts Francis’ life and moral values, saying that he always maintains his temperament.
How is Pope Francis’ funeral different from other Popes?
Francis’s 2024 change to the Pope’s burial ceremony paved the way for his more humble funeral and a specific burial site, the Pope Cathedral in St. Mary’s Major. Located outside the Vatican, the cathedral features Francis’ favorite icon of the Virgin Mary.
The first image of Francis’ body was released earlier this week after his death on Monday. He was 88 years old. Francis was placed in wooden cas, red dressed and placed with the bishop Mitre, and the Vatican Secretary of State prayed for him in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta Hotel, where he lived and died.
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Typically, the Pope has three cos made of Cypress trees, lead and elms, which are eventually stacked and buried in a Vatican cave under St. Peter’s Cathedral.
Under the updated ritual, Francis chose to be buried in one co, a wooden cas lined with zinc. Francis’ singular ffin, like customs, was not placed on elevated beer. Instead, his ffin was simply confronted with the foot of the cathedral.
Who will attend Pope Francis’ funeral?
President Donald Trump and Mrs. Melania Trump arrived at the funeral just before service began at 10am local time.
Former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden were also first attended.
President Donald Trump and the Center’s First Lady Melania Trump will arrive at Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at the Vatican’s funeral (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Argentine Presidents Javier Mairey and Prince William were among the mourners. The 42-year-old member of the British royal family attended a funeral in the Vatican City on behalf of Charles III, several outlets reported.
According to Vanity Fair, William, the heir to the British throne, has traditionally represented the monarch at funerals.
Polish President Andrzezi Duda said duda will be attending the ceremony. Poland also declared a national mourning day for funerals on Saturday.
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Reuters reports that the next world leader also attended the funeral.
British Prime Minister Kiel President of Brazil President Louise Inacio Lula da Silva and First Lady Janja Lula de Silva Emmanuel Macron President of Germany Frank Walter Steinmeyer and retired Olaf Shols Scors Hungarian President Tamas Schlia Italian President Sergio Matarera President Nowceda Interim President of Romania Illy Bo King of Royan Spain, Felipe and Queen Letitzia, Switzerland, President of Urlin Keller Sutter, President of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Union, President of Parliament Antonio Costa, President of Roberta Metra East, Minister of Jose Ramos Horta, President Antonio Costa, King Philip and Queen Mathilde, and Prime Minister Bad de Weber
White House officials told News Nation that Vice President J.D. Vance will not be present. Vance visited Francis at a brief meeting on Easter Sunday the day before the clergy passed away.
When and how did Pope Francis die?
Francis, the 266th head of the Catholic Church, passed away almost a month after being released from the hospital a day after Easter.
According to the Vatican, his cause of death was a brain stroke, which led to coma and irreversible heart failure. Francis was hospitalized in February and stayed for five weeks with dual pneumonia, requiring high flow of oxygen and blood transfusions.
What happens after Pope Francis’ funeral?
The Pope’s death sets up a formal process to select his successor known as Conclave.
The word conclave is derived from the Latin word “com” which means “com” and “clavis.” It refers to the practice of Catholic cardinals gathered in closed rooms or halls, and votes on who should become the next pope.
The boldness of white smoke from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, indicating that Cardinals University had elected a new Pope in Vatican City on March 13, 2013. (Photo by Peter MacDiarmid/Getty Images)
According to the American Congress of Catholic Bishops, the conclave usually occurs about 15 to 20 days after the Pope’s death or resignation.
Due to political turmoil, it took more than two years to elect Pope Gregory X in 1271. To ensure that future Pope elections are not dragged down, Gregory X ensured that the Cards would remain together until a new Pope was decided.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 are permitted to participate in secret anonymous conclave votes.
As for Francis’ successors, there are several frontrunners (Papaville), including Cardinal’s Peter Eldo, Reinhard Marx, Lewis Tugle, Mark Uerlett and Robert Sarah.
NewsNation’s Anna Kutz, Ashley N. Soriano, Patrick Djordjevic and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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